In the course of downsizing internal combustion engines having superchargers driven by exhaust gas, the effect of the dynamic startup lag of superchargers becomes stronger when there is a torque request; this is the so-called turbo lag. Therefore, a possible measure is to use electrically operable compressors instead of exhaust gas-driven superchargers, or to provide exhaust gas-driven superchargers with electrical supporting drives. Due to the standardly fast response time of the electrically operable compressors, the charge pressure buildup can be carried out significantly faster than is the case with purely exhaust gas-driven superchargers. The use of an electrically operable compressor permits a performance-focused design of the supercharging operation, so that a significant increase in the specific performance can be achieved.
The electrically operable compressor can be integrated into the charge air path downstream from the charge air cooler, so that the volume to be compressed after the electrically operable compressor is as small as possible.
In the case of exhaust gas-driven superchargers having integrated electrical support, so-called cross-chargers, the electrically operable compressor can be realized by an electrical support drive provided at the mechanical coupling between an exhaust gas turbine and compressor, so that in addition to or alternatively to the exhaust gas enthalpy converted into mechanical energy, electrical energy can also be provided to drive the compressor.